Paint tray

ABSTRACT

An improved apparatus for applying paint or other coating material to a roller for application to a substrate comprising a tray and a perforated follower plate adapted to fit snugly within the tray and having a plurality of protuberances on its surface to engage the nap of a paint roller and assure that the same will rotate as it is passed over the surface of the plate to be wetted with the coating material.

Oct. 2, 1973 Schoenholz...................u.

PAINT TRAY Kravitt..................mm... 15/2S7.05

Inventor: James F. Rinard, Newark, Del.

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FIG. 2

PAINT TRAY This invention relates to the art of transferring paint or other coating from a tray or other container to a roller preparatory to applying the same to a substrate.

In recent years, with the development of easy-toapply paints, varnishes, and other coating materials, many homeowners and professional painters have taken to the use of rollers to apply these coatings. In the application of paint by this technique, the paint is charged to a tray or pan about 6 to 9 inches wide adapted to fit over a step ladder. The tray normally has a sloped bottom so that one end thereof is about an inch or so deeper than the opposite end. When the paint is charged into the tray, the deeper end forms a reservoir into which the bulk of the paint collects, leaving the other end exposed. In use, this exposed end serves as a sloping paint regulator surface. The paint roller is dipped into the paint in the reservoir end to wet a portion of its absorbent surface and is thereafter rolled on the regulator surface to spread the paint more or less uniformly on the entire roller while removing excess paint from the roller. The slope on the paint regulator surface allows this excess paint to flow back into the reservoir.

It is the object of this invention to provide a new and improved paint tray by which one can apply a substantially uniform coating to a roller without the necessity of an extra step to effect distribution over the roller surface and remove excess paint therefrom.

The new and improved paint tray of this invention comprises, in combination, a paint receiving pan and and a follower plate adapted to fit snugly within said pan, said plate being made of a material having a specific gravity less than that of the coating material to be used therewith whereby it floats on the surface of said coating material, and having a plurality of perforations, said perforations being of a size to admit liquid of a predetermined viscosity upon application of pressure to the plate and being disposed in a substantially uniform pattern, and said plate having uniformly spaced on at least one surface a plurality of vertical protuberances to provide a roughened surface for engaging the nap of a paint roller applied thereto.

The new and improved paint tray of this invention is further described in the attached drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows the improved paint tray combination of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of one embodiment of the assembled paint tray combination taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of a different embodiment of the assembled tray combination; and

FIG. 4 depicts the filling of the tray.

Referring now to the drawing, the improved paint tray of this invention comprises a pan 1 and a follower plate 2 of a size to fit snugly within pan 1 as showed by the dotted lines. Follower plate 2 contains a plurality of perforations, and on the upper surface of the plate between neighboring rows of perforations are disposed a plurality of protuberances 4. The outer periphery of plate 2 is defined by an upwardly turned lip 5, having a pair of tabs 6 attached to one end which serves the function of hinges for lifting the plate into and out of position in pan 1. Guide lugs 7 and mating slots 8 are provided to hold the plate in an upright positionfor filling pan 1 as explained hereinafter. Bracket 12 can be slid up and down and is employed for hanging the tray, e.g., on a ladder during use.

To use the improved paint tray of this invention, a quantity of paint 9 is poured into pan 1 and plate 2 is inserted into the pan on the surface of the paint (FIG. 2) where it is permitted to float. Paint roller 10 is rolled across the surface of plate 2 under slight pressure whereby the plate is caused to sink slightly and paint is forced upward thru perforations 3 as indicated by arrows and is picked up by the nap on roller 10. Upon removal of roller 10, plate 2 resumes its original position on the surface of the liquid 9 and residual paint on the surface thereof flows back thru perforations 3 into pan 1. This sequence is repeated until substantially all of the paint is used. To recharge pan 1, one end of plate 2 is lifted, leaving guide lugs 7 in slot 8 and the end of the plate proximate to these members is inserted in slot 11 to hold plate 2 in the upright position as depicted in FIG. 4 while fresh paint is added. When plate 2 is returned to its operative position it once again floats on the surface of the paint as shown in FIG. 2.

The improved paint tray combination of this invention can be employed with any type of conventional paint or coating composition which is applied from liquid solution or dispersion. This includes such materials as paint, varnish, enamel and shellac having intermediate viscosities, also low viscosity materials such as whitewash and wallpaper sizing, and very high viscosity materials such as the highly thixotropic water base paints.

The size of the perforations 3 in follower plate 2 is varied according to the viscosity of the material to be applied. Thus a plate for use with a low viscosity coating material will have relatively small perforations, for medium viscosity coatings, larger perforations and for high viscosity coatings, still larger perforations. The perforations will usually be between about 1/16 inch and 3/16 inch in diameter.

The follower plate can be made of any material which has a specific gravity lower than that of the coating composition with which it is to be employed and which is insoluble in the composition. Preferably, a plastic is employed such as a polyolefin, nylon, poly(vinyl chloride), cellulose acetate, urea-formaldehyde, melamine resin or the like. Among the plastics, the preferred materials are the polyolefins as these are inert to the components of virtually all common coating compositions. They also have no affinity for the compositions and are therefor quite easy to clean after use.

The follower plate is sized so that it is only slightly smaller than pan 1 and forms a relatively snug fit within the pan. A spacing of no more than about 0.030 inch is preferred. With a snug fit of this type, the wall of the pan and the edge of the plate form a liquid seal sufficient to prevent the liquid from flowing between the edges of the plate and the pan wall when the plate is contacted by a roller with a relatively light touch. To improve this seal, especially when using the tray with low viscosity coating materials, it is frequently desirable to have a slight lip 5 or flange on the edge of the plate extending upward parallel to the wall of the pan. A flange extending-upward a distance equal to approximately twice the thickness of the perforated area on the plate is normally sufficient.

The perforations can be aligned in any desired geometric pattern so long as they are of a substantially uniform distribution across the surface of the plate. A plurality of vertical protuberances 4 are located on the surface of the perforated plate throughout the area containing the perforations. The purpose of the protuberances is to provide a roughened surface on the plate to create frictional drag on the roller or to engage the nap of the roller and cause it to rotate as it is rolled across the plate to wet it with the coating composition. The protuberances are small in cross-sectional area so that a pattern will not be effected on the roller and therefore transferred to the surface being painted. Absent these protuberances, the roller would simply slide across the plate and would thus be wetted in only one spot on its surface. By causing the roller to rotate while in contact with the liquid it is assured that the entire roller surface is wetted uniformly.

The protuberances are preferably a plurality of pointed or blunt nodes as shown in FIG. 1 disposed randomly or uniformly across the surface of the plate. The precise configuration selected is a matter of choice, but there must be a sufficient number of such nodes and they must be distributed on the surface in a way to assure that the roller will rotate substantially continu ously when in contact with the plate. Normally the protuberances will extend about one-sixteenth to oneeighth inch above the surface of the plate.

Alternatively the protuberances can be in the form of transverse ribs located between adjacent rows of perforations. These can have a constant dimension but preferably will have a saw-tooth configuration as shown in cross-section in FIG. 3.

The improved paint tray of this invention has several advantages over the conventional paint tray known to the art. For example, it is an easy matter using this tray to apply a uniform quantity of paint to a roller in a single pass of the roller over the tray because the roller rolls across the plate in contact with the paint and a fresh section of the roller is constantly in the paint. Another advantage is that the plate is wet with paint only in the area defined by the perforations. This area can be made slightly narrower than the width of the roller so that the ends of the roller remain dry. Yet another advantage is that the plate provides a cover for the material contained in the tray, preventing contact with the air and drying or curing resulting therefrom. The tray thus allows for longer periods of non-use after the coating material is charged thereto. This can be a distinct advantage, e.g., when painting the upper portion of a wall near the point where it meets the ceiling.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for applying paint or other liquid coating material to a roller applicator device comprising, in combination, a coating material receiving pan and a follower plate adapted to fit snugly within said pan, said follower plate being made of a material having a specific gravity less than that of the coating material to be used therewith whereby it floats on the surface of said coating material, and having a plurality of perforations, said perforations being of a size to admit liquid of a predetermined viscosity upon application of pressure to the plate and being disposed in a substantially uniform pattern, said follower plate having, on at least one of its surfaces, a plurality of vertical nodes capable of penetrating the nap of a roller and disposed substantially uniformly on a plane transverse to the direction in which the roller is moved across the plate.

2. A follower plate for a paint tray comprising a plate made of a plastic of relatively low specific gravity, said plate having a plurality of uniformly spaced perforations extending through the thickness thereof, and at least one surface of said plate having a plurality of vertical nodes capable of penetrating the nap of a roller and disposed substantially uniformly on a plane transverse to the direction in which the roller is moved across the plate. 

1. An apparatus for applying paint or other liquid coating material to a roller applicator device comprising, in combination, a coating material receiving pan and a follower plate adapted to fit snugly within said pan, said follower plate being made of a material having a specific gravity less than that of the coating material to be used therewith whereby it floats on the surface of said coating material, and having a plurality of perforations, said perforations being of a size to admit liquid of a predetermined viscosity upon application of pressure to the plate and being disposed in a substantially uniform pattern, said follower plate having, on at least one of its surfaces, a plurality of vertical nodes capable of penetrating the nap of a roller and disposed substantially uniformly on a plane transverse to the direction in which the roller is moved across the plate.
 2. A follower plate for a paint tray comprising a plate made of a plastic of relatively low specific gravity, said plate having a plurality of uniformly spaced perforations extending through the thickness thereof, and at least one surface of said plate having a plurality of vertical nodes capable of penetrating the nap of a roller and disposed substantially uniformly on a plane transverse to the direction in which the roller is moved across the plate. 